"Indictment"
by Anthony Roberts
The West has forgotten what true war is when not fought by those governed by shared worldview or ethos when not sanitized and approved for public consumption when not constrained by treaty or agreement when you don’t have to worry about public opinion when you don’t have to worry about political opposition your surprise is painfully naive you thought we were more evolved? you thought we’d moved beyond this? do you not realize that your words can be found throughout the centuries on dead men’s lips? -Ask the victims of the Armenian genocide -Ask the women of Berlin what fate befell them in 1945 this is the problem of a long peace you forget that war is our natural state how many times did you support the decision to sacrifice others -to appease and placate? you confuse comfort for what is right you choose to ignore horrors if they’re not within your sight peace is a privilege not a right pacifism exists only when you live where others are willing to fight Your cries of rage and anger all for naught when the ghosts of the dead ask you why you were silent when they sought your support while alone they fought and died while you did not confront your selfishness and admit that it’s because you forgot that you were a part of something bigger than yourself that so long as you had paradise you cared little for someone else’s hell that their suffering didn’t matter so long as you were doing well When the tyrant calls the men their mothers will watch them go like their forefathers before them went turning westward to face the foe returning haunted by glory then medals and smug smiles they’ll show mothers be happy they returned from where they were sent and don’t ask about things you do not want to know
Anthony Roberts is a veteran of Baltimore and Afghanistan. He currently lives in New Jersey in a home with beautiful views and interlocking fields of fire.
He is the author of Pigtown and The Clearing Barrel.
You can follow him here.
You’ve heard us talk a lot about the Savage Wonder Festival on May 29. But what is there to do after the festival? Well, our friends at City Winery in Montgomery, NY are hosting legendary comic Michael Ian Black on June 2 - if you haven’t been to City Winery yet, you really need to go. If you haven’t seen Michael Ian Black live, you really need to go. Click here to learn more.
Sponsored by iHeartRadio, Believe Love Respect and their new BLR Cider, WPDH Vets That Rock, Legoland, Chronogram, Wallkill Savings and Loan, Red Clover Coffee, Havok Journal and so many more - the Savage Wonder Festival of veterans in the arts is coming on May 29! Have you gotten your tickets yet?
Want the best date night possible this Saturday night? Drinks, dessert, a hilarious live performance, professional actors, an intimate unforgettable space, pay-what-you-can tickets…it simply does not get better than this. So come on out and join us at our Parlor on Quaker Avenue for our staged reading of Yasmina Reza’s comedy ART.
We have never not been sold out, so you’re welcome to try to show up and hope for a cancellation. But if you really want to see the show, why not book now and save yourself the uncertainty?